New in Town

{{Infobox film

| name = New in Town

| image = New_in_town.jpg

| caption =

| director = Jonas Elmer

| producer = Peter Safran
Darryl Taja
Tracey E. Edmonds
Paul Brooks
Phyllis Laing
Andrew Paquin

| writer = C. Jay Cox
Ken Rance

| starring = Renée Zellweger
Harry Connick, Jr.
J.K. Simmons
Frances Conroy
Siobhan Fallon Hogan

| music = John Swihart

| cinematography = Chris Seager

| editing = Troy Takaki

| studio = Gold Circle Films
Epidemic Pictures
The Safran Company
Edmonds Entertainment

| distributor = Lionsgate (North America; through Maple Pictures in Canada{{cite magazine |title=Maple watches over Gold Circle films |magazine=Variety |first=Brendan |last=Kelly |date=2 November 2007 |access-date=17 December 2021 |url=https://variety.com/2007/biz/news/maple-watches-over-gold-circle-films-1117975300/}})
Mandate Pictures (International){{cite web |title=New In Town |website=Screen International |first=John |last=Hazelton |date=22 January 2009 |access-date=28 November 2021 |url=https://www.screendaily.com/new-in-town/4042789.article}}

| released = {{Film date|2009|1|30|df=y}}

| runtime = 97 minutes

| country = United States
Canada

| language = English

| budget = $8{{nbsp}}million

| gross = $29{{nbsp}}million

}}

New in Town is a 2009 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jonas Elmer, starring Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. It was filmed in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, and in Los Angeles and South Beach, Miami, Florida.{{cite news |url =https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/2008/01/08/hollywood-heat-comes-to-local-chilled-in-miami-shoot |date=2008-01-08 |title=Hollywood heat comes to local Chilled in Miami shoot |first=Randall |last=King |work=Winnipeg Free Press |access-date=2024-12-21}} The film opened to negative reviews but was a financial success grossing $30 million against its $8 million budget.

Plot

High-powered consultant Lucy Hill, who loves her upscale Miami lifestyle, is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota, to oversee the restructuring of a food manufacturing plant. The factory is meant to add Japanese automation, and reduce staff by at least 50 percent.

After leaving sunny Miami and arriving in cold Minnesota, she finds a frosty reception from the weather, the locals, icy roads and a culture she has difficulty dealing with. As an example, before her first day at the factory she proceeds to insult a Ted Mitchell, the guest of honor at a home-cooked meal organized by the plant's secretary. The next day, Ted turns out to be the head of the workers' union. Likewise, she antagonizes the waitress in the local hangout, Flo; Flo turns out to be the ex-wife of the plant's foreman who she will fire. She learns to appreciate the locals and their way of life, and vice versa. In one of various scenes, Ted in his pickup truck rescues Lucy from freezing when she gets stuck in the snow as she tries to evade a cow wandering on the road; later Lucy's knowledge about fashion and style helps Ted's 13-year-old daughter to get ready for her first dance. Eventually, Lucy kisses Ted as they acknowledge their mutual attraction.

When Lucy is ordered to close down the plant, which will put the entire community out of work, she's forced to reconsider her goals and priorities, and find a way to save the town. After getting another big bowl of tapioca pudding, prepared according to her secretary's secret recipe of tapioca pudding, she gets the bright idea to have the company make and market the product, with their former yogurt production line and the existing personnel.

When the tapioca becomes extremely successful, Lucy's company wants to shut down the small Minnesota plant, which can not produce enough for the national market they envision. However, instead Lucy puts together a group of financiers who purchase the plant, with a contract that will gradually transfer ownership to the employees. As part of the deal Lucy becomes the CEO. Lucy announces the purchase to the employees gathered on the plant floor, including a now clean-shaven Ted who pledges the cooperation of the Union. Lucy and Ted seal the deal with a kiss, applauded by everyone.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Renée Zellweger as Lucy Hill
Harry Connick Jr. as Ted Mitchell
J.K. Simmons as Stu Kopenhafer
Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Blanche Gunderson
Frances Conroy as Trudy Van Uuden
Jimena Hoyos as Cathy
Ordena Stephens-Thompson as Leslie

}}

Reception

=Box office=

New in Town grossed $16.7{{nbsp}}million domestically (United States and Canada) and $12.3{{nbsp}}million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $29.0{{nbsp}}million,{{Cite Box Office Mojo |access-date=2024-12-21}} against a budget of $8.0{{nbsp}}million. Released on 30 January 2009, it ranked at No. 8 at the domestic box office for its first week{{snd}}its only week in the Top{{nbsp}}10.{{cite web |title=New in Town {{!}} Domestic Weekly |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDb |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1280017921/weekly/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs |access-date=2024-12-22}}

=Critical response=

{{RT data|prose|consensus=Clichéd and short on charm, New In Town is a pat genre exercise that fails to bring the necessary heat to its Minnesota setting.|ref=yes}} {{MC film|29|32|ref=yes|access-date=2024-12-21}}

Allan Hunter of the Daily Express has said, "Predictable and uninspired, it is one more example of the dumb comedies that Hollywood is churning out at an alarming rate."{{cite news |first=Allan |last=Hunter |title=New in town |work=Daily Express |department=Films |date=2009-02-27 |url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/86786/New-in-town |access-date=2024-12-21}} Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was also critical, stating "Renée Zellweger's rabbity, dimply pout{{snd}}surely the strangest facial expression in Hollywood{{snd}}simpers and twitches out of the screen in this moderate girly flick that adheres with almost religious fanaticism to the feelgood romcom handbook."{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Bradshaw |author-link=Peter Bradshaw |title=New in Town (2009) |date=2009-02-27 |department=Film |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/26/new-in-town-review-peter-bradshaw |access-date=2024-12-21}}

DVD

The "making of..." feature on the DVD documents that the cast and crew survived bitterly cold temperatures of below {{convert|-50|F|C}} in Manitoba, which sometimes resulted in malfunctions of cameras and other equipment.